Millions Of Children In Cities Face Poverty And Exclusion

New York, Feb 28 2012 10:10AMHundreds of millions of
children in cities across the world are growing up in
poverty and enduring deprivation, according to a report unveiled today by
the United Nations, spotlighting social exclusion and
calling for measures to give the youngsters access to basic
services and opportunities for a better future.

‘The State of the World’s Children 2012’
report released by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
highlights the hardship that many children living in urban
areas go through, which are in many cases concealed by
statistical averages in which the poverty of some is
obscured by the relative wealth of others.

“[Children’s] situations and needs are often
represented by aggregate figures that show urban children to
be better off than their rural counterparts, obscuring the
disparities that exist among the children of cities,” says
Anthony Lake, the UNICEF Executive Director, in the
report’s foreword.

The document stresses that
despite growing up in close proximity to modern facilities
and basic services, many children in urban areas lack access
to electricity, clean water and education. They are also at
high risk of contracting diseases due to unsanitary
conditions and suffering from malnutrition.

The report also emphasizes that they
children are at high risk of exploitation and trafficking,
as well as becoming victims of violence.

Presently,
more than a billion children live in cities and towns. While
many of these children enjoy access to basic services, a
significant number face numerous challenges that impede
their full development.

According to UNICEF, one in
three city dwellers lives in slums, while in Africa the
proportion increases to six in ten.

“Overcrowding
and unsanitary conditions facilitate transmission of disease
– notably pneumonia and diarrhea, the two leading killers
of children under the age of five worldwide,” says the
report. “Outbreaks of measles, tuberculosis and other
vaccine-preventable diseases are also more frequent in these
areas, where population density is high and immunization
levels are low.”

While global vaccine coverage is
improving, the report warns that it remains low in slums and
informal settlements, increasing the population’s
vulnerability.

The report also states that children
who live in slums face hunger and malnutrition. Poor
nutrition is responsible for more than a third of deaths
globally for children under the age of five.

“Even
the apparently well fed – those who receive sufficient
calories to fuel their daily activities – can suffer the
‘hidden hunger’ of micronutrient malnutrition,” the
report warns.In addition to poor health, the report
points out that children living in slums are the least
likely to attend school.

“Especially in slums,
where public education options are scarce, families face a
choice between paying for their children to attend
overcrowded private schools of poor quality or withdrawing
their children from school altogether.

“Even when
schooling is free, ancillary expenses – uniforms,
classroom supplies or exam fees, for example – are often
high enough to prevent children from attending school.”

Without education, many children go on to work in the
streets, with many joining criminal gangs which offer the
promise of financial rewards and a sense of belonging, the
report states.

It provides a set of recommendations
to improve the conditions of children living in cities,
which include improving the understanding of the scale and
nature of poverty that affects children in cities, and using
the knowledge to remove barriers to their social inclusion.

The report also underscores the importance of making
children’s needs a priority in city planning and
infrastructure development, and of establishing partnerships
between the poor and government authorities at all levels.

“We must do more to reach all children in need,
wherever they live, wherever they are excluded and left
behind,” said Mr. Lake. “If we overcome the barriers
that have kept these children from the services they need
and that are theirs by right, then millions more will grow
up healthy, attend school, and live more productive
lives.” Feb 28 2012
10:10AM________________For more details go to UN
News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

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